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Monday, March 25, 2013

Lunch Made Easy: Healthy Work Lunches for Mom {or Dad}

I often post photos and details of my own healthy work lunches on my Instagram feed, but it's been a while since I've done a round-up on the blog itself. Today seemed like a good day to share!

Let's kick off Monday and spring with some yummy ideas on how to pack a healthy lunch for work {i.e. Adult Bentos}!

Last fall I shared a detailed post called "What about Mom & Dad?" focusing on packing healthy lunches for ourselves. Our health is just as important as our kiddos. {Check out that post by clicking HERE.}

How can we expect our kids to eat the fruit and veggies we pack them if we're settling for fast food or only grabbing a microwave meal on the way out the door in the mornings?

Make a little extra knowing you want to pack up what's left. As soon as dinner is done, go ahead and prepare it right into your lunch box (like pictured above). Then in the morning, all you have to do is grab and go! Easy-peasy and delicious.

What I pack the most tends to be salads. Different varieties and toppings to keep it interesting - Romaine, kale, spinach... Carrot, sweet peppers, cabbage... Turkey, cheese, egg. Mix it up to keep it fresh!

One of the things I'm most happy I got into the habit of is prepping fruits and veggies over the weekend. After I return from the grocery, I immediately clean the fruits so they're ready to grab.

At night, while I making Little Miss' lunch, I simply dice a few extra or pull a few more out of each for my own lunch. If you take the extra few moments then, you'll save yourself time in the mornings - especially if you're running late. Which never happens to any of you, I'm sure. ;)

Don't forget there are great resources online that can help you plan and pack, such as MOMables. It's great for kids and adults! You get printable recipes with photos, plus a shopping list to keep you on track.

12 comments:

Such a good post about setting an example for your kids-- and for being healthy in general! I know that when I pack my lunches, even if I am eating at HOME, I eat healthier if I pack them ahead of time! :)

Thank you Keeley!! What a terrific round up and fantastic post of helpful ideas. Yep - Planning ahead is the key. Making healthy choices is easier if you've got good food in your home, ready to go. Love the made-ahead smoothies!!

Agreed! Freezing Smoothies! Brilliant! What are your favorite containers to use? Okay, I love the idea of grown-up Bentos too. Brilliant again. I keep missing lunch from being at the computer, but, if I would simply plan ahead and make my lunch in the morning along with the kids, then maybe I wouldn't miss lunch. Good ideas...keep them coming!

Hi! They are silicone cups. They can be reheated and keep the food separated nicely. I purchased mine from AllThingsforSale/BentoUSA. You can find links to the items we use under the "lunchbox goodies" tab at the top of the page. Thanks!